WNBA Fourth-Quarter Heroics: Elena Delle Donne

During the Kings-Lakers, Bibby-Kobe rivalries of the early 2000s, the LA Times once wrote, “Taking the last shot, history proves, is not for everybody.” Two nights ago, Elena Delle Done made, well, quite a few.

Elena Delle Donne had only scored two points in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Shoni and Angel were having a field day for the Atlanta Dream. The Chicago Sky went down by 20. EDD looked damn exhausted. She was barely getting up and down the court. Her team was down by 18 to start the last quarter. I couldn’t remember the final time a fourth-seed upset a first-seed in the WNBA playoffs, much less come back from double digits, on someone else’s court. The fans were already celebrating. I was disheartened and disappointed. But I also didn’t turn off LiveAccess streaming because EDD had been out for most of the season, injuries, lyme disease. And then I learned my lesson: You never, ever turn off the TV when EDD is on the court–it’s just sacrilegious.

From www.wnba.com: Down by 17 points with 8:12 remaining in the game, EDD willed Chicago to one of the most improbable victories in WNBA history. In the end, Delle Donne finished with a career-high 34 points, including 11 of Chicago’s last 16. The Chicago Sky won by 1.